Underneath the Mistletoe
by Soul Reaver
Summary: Following closely the storyline of my other WOEICS fic, New Face. This is a bit of holiday fluff that I wrote about an hour before Christmas Day officially begins (midnight on the 24th).


Underneath the Mistletoe  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego franchise. This is based on the story line of my story New Face. (Ages of characters. Ivy - 27, Zack and Tatiana, 23 and 22 respectively, Hal - 27). Any confusion, please read the story New Face first. And all readers of the fic New Face, bear in mind that some events referred to have not happened yet in the story line. (Basically if you don't want spoilers, turn back now, you've been warned.)  
  
C.J. Sandiego - Think of this as a Christmas gift to all Hal/Ivy shippers.....  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
14 December 2000: "Surely, Hal, you've got time before your flight out to the United Kingdom?" Ivy asked.  
  
"I guess I could spare an hour or so. My flight's not till late. And if I miss it I can catch a redeye to Britain." Hal replied, he had been ready to leave for the airport.  
  
"Hal, the Christmas Party's been a big tradition at this office for nearly a decade. You've been with us for the past eight months, you count as part of this office." Ivy replied, 'And more than that to me.'  
  
"You're right." Hal replied, "I should stay for a bit."  
  
"Yay." Ivy said, practically dragging him into the conference room where the refreshments and party favors were.  
  
'Eight months. My tour's almost a quarter of the way through. I'm not sure I'm looking forward to 2004 when it expires.' Hal thought, 'This certainly wasn't in my plans. Ivy's a good friend and....Bollocks, when's the last time a friend made you get butterflies in your stomach?'  
  
'Oh relax, it's not like you propositioned him.' Ivy thought, 'Anyway, Hal's become a very close friend in the past eight months....Yeah right. When was the last time a friend could make frustrations go away by smiling at you?'  
  
"I guess we'd best not keep the restless natives waiting." Hal said and thought, 'Get a grip on yourself Hal! It's a bloody Christmas party not a date!'  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"Ready?" Tatiana whispered to her husband, elsewhere.  
  
"Ready for what?" Zack whispered back.  
  
"The Plan I've been putting together for weeks." Tatiana said  
  
"The Plan? Tatiana, it's just the Mistletoe." Zack protested.  
  
"Zack, don't tempt the pregnant woman's wrath. Please don't, for your safety." Tatiana replied. Their child was due any day now.  
  
"Tatiana...." Zack began.  
  
"You know Zack, fathers are only necessary for procreation...." Tatiana said, jokingly.  
  
"Alright, sheesh!" Zack said, in mock defense, holding his hands up. Tatiana threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek.  
  
"You're so cute when you're on the defensive." Tatiana said.  
  
"Hey! Look who decided to show up!" Armando said, from the slightly spiked punch bowl. He was slightly tipsy.  
  
Chief Inspector Grant Wells laughed, "At ease gaucho. Looks like Ivy Darren was able to pull of another miracle."  
  
"Bollocks Chief, I decided to show up of my own accord." Hal remarked as he entered the room.  
  
"You mean the power of feminine persuasion failed...." Armando said, "Bullshit."  
  
Ivy shot him a look that spoke of death and daggers and smiled, "Actually I think I did a good job of convincing our resident SAS soldier to take part in an important tradition."  
  
"Speaking of traditions, Ive, you two are standing under the mistletoe." Zack remarked.  
  
"What?" Ivy replied, then looked up. She and Hal were directly under a clump of mistletoe that Tatiana and Armando had strategically placed at the doorway arch.  
  
"Chief?" Ivy said, eyeing their boss.  
  
"Who am I to stand against tradition." Wells remarked.  
  
"Hal," Ivy said, "If you're not...."  
  
"Ivy, it's tradition and as such, we must follow it." Hal replied, "I'm saying yes, by the way."  
  
"Hal, I did kind of figure that out." Ivy replied. She felt uneasy, and Hal felt equally so.  
  
'Oh get it over with and kiss him, Darren, it's not like you're making out with him in front of the entire office.' Ivy thought.  
  
'For God's sake, Who Dare's Wins, go ahead you wanker.' Hal thought.  
  
For a few seconds time stood still as Hal drew Ivy into his arms, gently cupping her cheek with his right hand, and pushing a few strands of hair away from her face. He tilted his head so their noses wouldn't bump. Gently their lips touched and tongues met in a slow, warm, yet tender kiss.  
  
They'd been through so much together during the last eight months, a serial sniper, rampaging dinosaurs, a murder case, a plane crash, and a volatile Middle Eastern brushfire readily sprang to mind.  
  
Time dragged out and ceased to exist all together as the kiss lasted. Hal kissed Ivy, despite the fact that during their case in Britain they decided they'd just try to stay friends, and he knew he wasn't kissing Diane. He surrendered himself to the feelings, saying to hell with everything else and it was a long time before they let go.  
  
As they pulled themselves back into reality, they became aware that a lot of their co-workers were watching them with their jaws hanging out. They parted from their mutual embrace and smiled awkwardly at each other before Hal turned towards their audience, "Satisfied."  
  
"More than." Tatiana said, astonished.  
  
"It looked like you two really meant that one." Wells said, "I was thinking of calling the paramedics in case you two keeled over from lack of oxygen."  
  
"I am feeling a little light headed." Hal remarked, and thought, 'Actually considerably more than that since a lot of blood got diverted from my brain to somewhere else entirely.'  
  
"Maybe you shouldn't consider flying tonight." Ivy said, then thought, 'If you do take me up on that, I can think of a place you could stay....Wait a minute, where did THAT come from?'  
  
"I think I can survive a Trans-Atlantic flight, Ninja-Girl." Hal replied, then thought, 'I'd really enjoy it if you were taking that flight with me....Boy that came out of the left side of the pitch (soccer field).'  
  
The rest of the party passed without incident and as Hal got up to leave, Ivy followed him and said, "Have a safe flight. Happy Holidays Limey."  
  
"Have a great break. Happy Holidays to you too, Ninja-Girl." Hal remarked. They shared a friendly hug in the parking lot before Hal drove out to the airport.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Bristol, United Kingdom  
  
24 December 2000: The snowfall was light and blanketed the ground in a fresh white coat. Hal stared out at the open fields and forests of his childhood and smiled. It was 2359 hours, local time, and his entire family was in the house, celebrating Christmas Eve.  
  
Hal stared out at the snow, looking at a star and hoped a certain someone across the Atlantic was looking the same way. "Merry Christmas, Ivy." Hal whispered.  
  
"Hal? Aren't you going to come in and join your family?" His mother remarked.  
  
"I'm on my way mum." Hal replied.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
San Francisco, California  
  
24 December 2000 (Local Time): Ivy managed to steal a minute away from the activity of the Darren household on Christmas Eve. She watched her cousins chasing each other through the house as she stood on the balcony, looking out at the sky, hoping a close friend across the Atlantic was doing the same.  
  
"Merry Christmas Hal." Ivy whispered.  
  
"Ivy! Are you coming Christmas Caroling with us!?" Zack yelled up the stairs.  
  
"Just a minute." Ivy said, grabbing her coat and wishing, again, good tidings on a friend far across an ocean.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
End. 


End file.
